Central Funktion

Kingston, TN

Biography

Finding inspiration from rock pioneers like Buddy Holly and Chuck Berry, as well as the energy and ‘new old school’ riffs from The Strokes and fellow Tennesseans, Kings of Leon, Central Funktion is a time-transcending band with a sound both new and familiar. Barely of legal age by the time they completed their debut album, lead singer/guitarist Corey Finnell, drummer Andrew Nance, bassist Jackson Deal, and trumpeter Mark Ellis’ story isn’t quite of the overnight success variety, but it still rings honest and true. Finnell (chief songwriter and arranger) and Nance (who pounded paint cans at age five) started playing together in 1997, while they attended Roane County High School. After circulating a demo tape, the two stumbled upon Deal (whose entire family is comprised of gifted musicians), and the three-piece began collaborating on original music. Soon thereafter they met Ellis, who was RCHS band captain, and added him to their ranks, expanding their trio to as many as nine members, incorporating brass and keyboards. Deal christened the ensemble “Central Funktion” in 2000, and the group spent most of that year writing and rehearsing material for ‘PRAYER’ in Deal’s basement. Upon completion, the album’s many performers (a reported twenty-six) would part ways, each seeking his or her opportunity outside of music, leaving only the quartet to portray the big-band arrangements captured on CD. “Dragonflies At Night” and “San Pedro” became fan favorites, but the boys became dissatisfied with their live repertoire. Over the following months, a string of unsuccessful gigs led Central Funktion to take a break. During this period, the group settled upon an edgier, stripped-down sound they found more comfortable and more honest to perform. In September 2006, after four long years of hard work and savings, the band released its sophomore effort, ‘NIGHTLIFE OF THE GODS,’ which they recorded at Chicken Hill Studios, located just outside of Nashville. The songs were more polished, and performances were a vast improvement over those of ‘PRAYER.’ The Funktion executed songs like ‘The Woo Song’ and ‘Sand Dog Nostalgia’ effortlessly during live shows in and around Knoxville, where they discovered a young and talented guitarist named Joey Murray. The four invited Murray to join Central Funktion in 2007, during the band’s creative boiling point. Over the next few months, Murray’s style melded its way into the ferocious fever of musical moods that was becoming an hour-long opus Finnell dubbed ‘teenage geezer.’ After laboriously home-recording the 25 “sections” in drummer Nance’s basement, the band returned to Chicken Hill in August ’07 to make their dream a reality. Instead, time and money shortages became their reality. Not giving up, the quintet agreed to release six tracks as an EP, in hopes to boost income to complete their vision. Featuring a beautiful cover by artist Ben Moist, the ‘teenage geezer’ EP gives listeners a glimpse of Central Funktion at its best: “Girls (Are Taking Over the World)” and “Moving Out West (Leaving the Nest)” are two examples of completely different, well executed songs by a group that has finally come into its own. The title track is a very personal gift from Finnell, who insists the song’s lyrics are “bluntly honest and brutally true.” “No names were changed to protect the innocent,” he explains. Indeed, while searching for an audience, fame, and notoriety, Central Funktion has learned that honesty is the best key to success, and the band’s strongest weapon. In fact, the very theme of ‘teenage geezer’ describes how dreams, plans, and empathy are only relative to each individual’s experiences in life: how staying true to one’s self is the true nature of success.

Songs (3)

Girls (Are Taking Over The World)

Teenage Geezer (radio edit)

Moving Out West (Leaving the Nest)

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